The Parliamentary Committee on European Affairs approved on Monday the financing agreement with the European Commission for the multiannual operational program for youth employment in Albania, within the framework of IPA III, for the period 2024-2027.

Present at the committee meeting, Deputy Minister of Economy, Culture and Innovation, Olta Manjani, stated that the program aims at the full inclusion of young people in the labor market, with a special focus on the NEET group (young people (aged 15-29) who are not in employment, education, or training.

Manjani, in her speech, said that this agreement is not simply a political document, but one of the most important agreements that the Albanian state will approve about the largest youth employment program.

“The multiannual operational program supported by the European Union places youth employment at the center of attention through the Youth Guarantee program,” the deputy minister stressed.

The program, with a total value of Euro 63.48 million, of which Euro 50 million from the EU and Euro 13.48 million from the government, will support three main areas: increasing youth employment, improving vocational education and training, and strengthening institutional capacities for the effective implementation of the program.

The aim is to increase employment, develop young people’s skills, and prevent emigration, through the involvement of local stakeholders and cooperation with the private and public sectors.